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Maddon not worried about relievers getting rusty

Maddon not worried about relievers getting rusty

NEW YORK -- There could be a possible detrimental offshoot to the Rays' starting pitchers pitching so many innings lately: bullpen rust.

Rays manager Joe Maddon was asked about the possibility of seeing the performance of the bullpen suffer in the Yankees series due to their recent lack of use.

"Bullpen guys, a lot of times, are still able to throw a lot of strikes without a lot of work," said Maddon, noting that closer Fernando Rodney might be a candidate to pitch in a non-save situation just to get some work in. "[Joel Peralta] is already barking at me right now. He wants out there. Jake [McGee] is the one guy I think that kind of resembles [former Rays closer Troy Percival], in that he doesn't need to throw to throw a strike. Alex [Torres] is fine. I think the two guys I need to keep a close eye on so no rust builds up on them are Fernando and Joel."

Maddon noted about Peralta: "He's pitched twice out of the last 10 days, or something. It's kind of like the offseason for him."

Bill Chastain is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.